


Moonlight chemistry

by margotfelicity



Category: The Bold Type
Genre: Editor-in-Chief, F/F, Older Woman/Younger Woman, Slow Burn, Writer, i think, we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-24
Updated: 2017-11-05
Packaged: 2019-01-04 21:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12177234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/margotfelicity/pseuds/margotfelicity
Summary: Jane writes. Whenever something's bothering her, she writes. Writing has become her therapist over the past few years. And then she has to show her work to Jacqueline and it stresses the living hell out of her. But this time is different. This time the meeting in her office goes way differently than she could've ever expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> a huge thank you to my bestie kelsey (@kinkmekingston) for taking her time and editing this fic as it is my first ever.  
> before you start reading you should know that jane hasn't left scarlet in this fic, that she is very much still working here.  
> Hope you guys enjoy it♥

The minute Jane got home everything started spinning. Holding onto the doorframe she steadied herself; hoping to find her balance. A thing that was  _obviously_  pretty foreign to her. And here she thought she was actually growing up for once, and not making awful,  _awful_  decisions she would probably regret for the rest of her life. And probably in the afterlife too; if there even was such a thing. Jane sure hoped there was, because honestly? She deserves this suffering. She  _deserves_  it and she’ll make sure every second of it count.   


**10 hours earlier, 12pm.**   


‘’Okay, so there’s this thing that’s been bothering me recently and I don’t know how I feel about it.’’   


Both Sutton and Kat looked up from their phones. In front of them Jane sat, lost-in-thought; not even looking at them. She didn't even acknowledge them; she may as well just be talking to herself, completely ignoring the fact that there were living species in the wardrobe  _with_  her. It was what the two friends called the ‘Jane-zone’. The Jane-zone happened at least once or twice a month. It was definitely more pleasant than the visit from the Mother Nature, but had some things in common with it; one of them being the fact that it regarded either her relationships or her work. There was nothing in-between and the two friends hadn’t yet mastered the ability to tell which one was troubling Jane’s mind this time.   


‘’Care to elaborate or do you want us to play charades, hun?’’ Sutton asked with a small smirk forming on her lips, ‘’’cuz, the charades could be  _really_ fun, but I don’t know how respectful that would be towards your feelings…’’, she bent her head to the side a little, observing Jane. ‘’…there’s definitely something going on over there.’’ She circled her index finger around Jane’s head, making her snap out of the ‘zone’.   


‘’Oh, yeah, sorry, I was-‘’   


‘’In the zone’’ Kat and Sutton said in unison, making each other smile. ’’If you were in the Jane-zone because of a man though, I  _will_ make it my mission to make your life a living hell. No one is taking our Friday nights away from us, okay?’’ Kat was glaring at Jane, with the one hand placed smugly on her hip. ‘’No one’’, she even made the effort to raise her left eyebrow.   


‘’No, no. No dude. I’ve just been thinking about the word ‘feminine’ recently, I was thinking I may do an article on it.’’ Jane said, clearly still half in the zone and half in the reality, ‘’you guys would never think of it as anything bad, would you?’’ she asked.   


Sutton’s eyes narrowed, ’’I’m not sure I follow you’’.   


‘’This will probably make no sense..."   


Jane took a deep breath and tried forming her thoughts into a logical sentence. You know, so normal living and breathing humans could understand her?   


‘’So when you get called ‘feminine’, how does that make you feel? Flattered is probably the best word for it, right?’’ She finally made eye contact with both of her friends who were listening to her carefully, arms crossed over their chests. ‘’But now think about it this way. And I  _might_ be wrong, that could just be my subjective opinion, but in college, whenever we would analyse an art piece that has a woman or women in it they’d describe it as soft and fragile and delicate and blah blah blah  _because_ it’s feminine.’’ She started talking faster and moving around, ‘’Oh, but this one, this one that has men in it, is strong and powerful and very empowering. And they also teach that in schools. In schools where girls learn from a very young age that in order to be feminine, you also gotta be weak, fragile and lust after men, because they will be the ones that give you strength and stability. I mean, am I wrong? Am I taking this too far?’’ Jane’s arms fell to her sides as she looked at her friends with a questioning expression; clearly waiting for some kind of response or reaction. 

 

There was a silence amongst the group that went on for a second too long. But the two friends had clearly been lost in thought, so all was forgiven.   


‘’I’ve never even thought about it that way’’ Kat finally said. ’’Everything you just said made perfect sense. It was also a beautiful monologue, could totally work for a tv show…’’ she was stopped by Sutton’s  _don’t do that_ gaze, ‘’…joking’’ she rolled her eyes, ‘’in all honesty I feel like you should put all that on paper. Or should I rather say, type it all in Word’’ she chuckled and winked, clearly proud of her joke. After no response from the other two, she continued, ‘’Write it all down, at least a draft or just half of it and show it to Jacqueline, talk to her, I feel like she’s the one to help you with this and I also think she’d support this idea and understand it and I’m even more sure that she’d want to put it in the magazine.’’   


“Yeah, Jane,’’ Sutton finally spoke, ‘’we’re not writers’’ she pointed out, ‘’but we are people who are fans of this magazine and love its content. I think that would be a perfect article and I’d definitely read it. Plus, knowing you? You  _do_ need to put all those feelings on paper. I can see how passionate you are about this.’’   


'’Exactly. Put it on paper. Talk to Jacqueline. Make the big bucks.’’ Kat agreed with Sutton.

 

Jane looked at her friends who were smiling lovingly at her.   


‘’Are you sure it’s a good idea?’’ she asked, ‘’I mean, some people might get-‘’   


‘’ _Go!_ ’’ Kat and Sutton yelled in unison once again and kicked Jane out of the fashion closet.   


The minute Jane left the fashion closet she knew that this was gonna be a long and stressful day. But it will be all worth it after she’s finished and talked to Jacqueline… right?   


 

**5 hours later, 5pm.**

_…Were these descriptions appropriate for that period of time? Yes. Are those descriptions still appropriate? Yes. It’s the way we hand them to the generations after us that is concerning. Today is so different than it was 50 years ago. We are constantly reminding young girls and boys what their roles in today’s society are. We tell  them how they’re supposed to be; just because girls and boys were like that hundreds of years ago. But that won’t help us move forward, it won't help us progress or change the way we think. So let’s not hide; let’s talk about it. We are the ones shaping the evolution of people’s perception on a person’s gender. So let's encourage people. Let's help them; inspire and support them. Let's help others and in turn help ourselves._

Jane hit the period on her keyboard and let out a relieved sigh. She was proud of what she had written. For the first time ever she felt one hundred percent confident. For the first time ever she was excited to go into Jacqueline’s office and present her article. Naturally a little nervous but mostly excited. Jacqueline had always been a mentor. A good one. An amazing one, actually; still to this day, Jane couldn’t believe she was this lucky. But she also felt extremely nervous and panicky whenever Jacqueline called her into her office to discuss her articles. Jane of course, wanted to do her best as a writer, but she also felt the need to impress Jacqueline. Naturally being the teacher’s pet had its perks, but it was also extremely annoying and completely unnecessary. Jane knew very well that it was childish, foolish perhaps, yet she still craved the validation that came with it. 

The need to print this article; to see and feel it on paper was suddenly overwhelming. 

She got up from her desk and started walking towards the printing room, still thinking about the article, still living in it, still being in the ‘zone’. She stared at the blank wall while the pages were printing, her mind swirling with thoughts. 

‘’Jane?’’ she heard a familiar voice. She turned around to see Jacqueline standing in the doorframe. ‘’I haven’t talked to you all day, if you have a moment we need to discuss new ideas and articles for the October issue. Do you have anything?’’ 

Jacqueline entered the room completely, coming to lean against the wall opposite Jane. The younger woman gulped, how was it that the room literally lit up. Jacqueline always carried an aura with her. She was passionate, clever and so very strong. She was as close to a goddess as one could get, always looking fabulous; ready to hit the runway if she had to and so very strong and confident.

‘’I actually finished something a few minutes ago.’’ Jane finally spoke crawling back to reality. Never had the Jane-zone sucked her in as much as this time.

‘’You've written something?’’ Jacqueline asked crossing arms over her chest, ‘’why didn’t you say something?"

‘’I…’’ Jane stopped, shrugging. ‘’This was something that I just had to get off my chest before pitching you the idea. Even if you don’t use it, I just had to do it.’’ 

Jacqueline observed Jane for a minute, a smirk hanging off her lips. The younger woman looked frazzled, lost in thought; which wasn't uncommon for Jane Sloan however, this time it seemed different. The thing she had written had obviously drained her; consumed her. 

‘’Alright then, would you send it to my email?’’ Jacqueline asked.

Jane looked at Jacqueline, then at the printer, before bouncing back to the older woman. ‘’I’m actually printing it out now, so…’’ she took the paper in her hands. It was still warm. ‘’If you don't mind doing it the old fashion way....’’ she smiled a little as she trailed off and handed the pages to Jacqueline.

‘’ _’Let’s hang the paintings on the ceiling and turn our wardrobes upside down’_ ’’ she read the title out loud. ‘’Well, you’ve intrigued me, Jane’’ she looked at the brunette with a smile as her eyebrow bounced up. 

"I’ll give it a read right now’’ Jacqueline turned with a nod, ready to to leave but stopped and turned back to the girl. ‘’Are you okay, Jane?’’ She asked empathetically.

‘’Yeah, I am. Just tired, that’s all’’ she smiled at Jacqueline’s concern.

‘’Alright then, I’ll give you the feedback in an hour or two.’’ Jacqueline said and left the small room. 

 

**2 hours later, 7pm.**

Jane was still sitting at her desk. Even though more than half of her co-workers had gone home, she was still here, waiting for Jacqueline to call for her. The coffee she’d had half an hour ago had really boosted her energy which she was quite happy about. The whole day had gone by in a haze. But now, eager to hear Jacqueline’s thoughts and suggestions of improvement, she was full of energy and excitement. 

She didn’t have to wait long as Jacqueline opened the door to her office and called out her name. Jane got up, took a deep breath and made her way into Jacqueline’s office.

The women took their seats on the opposite sides of Jacqueline’s desk. Jane looked at Jacqueline who was still silent, her eyes swirling across the paper in her hand. Finally she spoke up.

‘’ _’Who are we to tell women and men what they should wear, how they should act, how they should speak, and how the should live their lives?’_ ’’ Jacqueline read out loud and looked at Jane. ‘’A sentence that has been written at least a hundred times in hundred different publications…’’ she paused and Jane could feel her shoulders getting heavy. ‘’…but sounds so fresh and completely necessary in this particular article. Jane,’’ she put the pages away and turned to the younger woman, ‘’I really like this. This is good.’’ She smiled as she observed the brunette. Jane let a out sigh of relief and looked into Jacqueline’s eyes not quite believing what she just heard.

‘’Do you really? I mean, do you have any notes, anything I should change, anything I should throw away?’’ 

‘’No, oddly," Jacqueline said frowning with a smirk, "I think you’ve written a perfect article’’ the older woman laughed. ‘’I’m really proud of you, Jane. Normally I wouldn’t tell this to a writer as young as you, but…’’ the blonde took a deep breath,  ‘’never in the span of my carrier have I seen a writer developing and improving as fast as you have. I mean, I have no notes, no suggestions, this is good. Really, really good’’ she touched the article with her index finger, ‘’I tried really hard to find something that bothered me, but I just couldn’t. This is as Scarlet as an article can get and the fact that we’re a magazine that promotes femininity all the time and have never talked about the term that way… I say you’ve hit the jackpot with this one. It's perfect.’’ she looked up at the woman sitting in front of her and smiled once again.

There was pure happiness oozing from Jacqueline which only made Jane more aware of how hard her heart was beating against her chest at the praise. Jacqueline, Editor-in-Chief of the Scarlet magazine, her mentor and a woman who Jane looked up to both professionally and personally, had just called her article ‘perfect’.

‘’Jacqueline, I don’t know what to say’’ Jane took a breath, opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again and let the breath out. For some reason that action made her laugh, ‘’I’m, I just, I don't know what to say. ’’ she looked down and touched her forehead with her hand.

"Thank you?’’ Jacqueline hinted with a gorgeous, bright smile.  "I feel like this calls for a little celebration, don’t you?’’ She asked and got up from the desk.

‘’Celebration? It’s just an article, Jacqueline-‘’

‘’There’s something important I want to talk to you about; and that will definitely call for a celebration’’ Jacqueline winked at Jane, sending butterflies fluttering in the younger woman's stomach. _Butterflies?! WHAT._

‘’I ordered us some dinner, if you’re okay with that? I haven’t eaten properly all day.’’ Jacqueline said as she made her way to one of her cabinets.

‘’Uh, yeah, sure, thank you.’’ Jane turned around so she could see her boss. _Her boss._ She made a mental note of that.

Jacqueline opened a cupboard and took some sort of liquid out of it. ‘’Scotch while we wait?’’ She asked.

‘’Sure," Jane said nervously as she got up and made her way to where Jacqueline was pouring the liquid into tumblers. Tapping their glasses together with a chink, they both took a sip of the drink. It tasted good, the burn down her throat was exactly what Jane needed after a day like today. Jacqueline motioned for her to sit down on the red couch and Jane could see that she was preparing a speech in her head.

‘’So I know I’ve been… limiting you when it comes to the subjects you want to talk about in your articles…’’ Jacqueline made herself more comfortable on the couch, ‘’not because I didn’t believe in you or trust you to rise to the challenge, because I do. And I do believe you’ll do great things in the future.’’ She looked Jane right in the eyes and smiled, making sure Jane would hear and believe her. ‘’I restricted you because I was waiting for this exact moment, for this article’’ she pointed to her desk on which the crumpled papers were lying. ‘’And because of that article, I wanted you to know that I’m giving you more freedom when it comes to choosing what you’ll be writing for either the magazine or the website.’’

Jane’s jaw dropped. She was staring at Jacqueline in complete shock. Jacqueline might as well have told Jane she was pregnant with the way her jaw hung open. No, that would’ve ended in Jane screaming and running through the window of Jacqueline’s office. Either way, Jane was stunned.

‘’Really?’’ She finally spoke, making Jacqueline laugh. The older woman leaned in, pretending to be and old man with a tobacco pipe in his hand and said in a very low voice, ’’I’m dead serious, Jane Sloan’’.

Jane looked at Jacqueline, her head cocked in confusion. Jacqueline leaned back and wondered if she'd go too far. Sometimes it was hard to be the boss, not all her employees were willing to laugh along with her.

Suddenly after a beat too long, Jane burst out laughing which in turn made Jacqueline laugh.

‘’That was literally the best impression of an angry old man I’ve ever seen’’ Jane said through laughter.

‘’An angry old man who thinks feminism is about hating men’’ Jacqueline added, which made Jane tear up from laughter.

_God, this was fun_  she thought.

 

**2 hours later, 9pm.**

A few glasses of scotch and a dinner later the two women were still seated on the red couch. It was dark outside  and the moonlight shone across the skyscrapers outside Jacqueline’s office. The women weren’t even really sure what they had been talking about, but they knew that tonight had been one of the most stress-free evenings they'd both had in a long time. Especially Jane. She felt relaxed. It could be the scotch working on her liver, but her muscles weren’t so tense anymore which was a relief.

Jacqueline on the other hand felt surprised at how easy and enjoyable it was to talk to Jane. She’d had so many events in the past where the employee just couldn’t talk to her about anything else but work, let alone make eye contact with her. It was refreshing to feel so relaxed around someone that wasn’t her family.  _This could be a great friendship in the future_  she thought to herself.

‘’…I mean, everyone is literally  _running_  away from Lauren whenever they see her round the corner’’ Jane laughed.

‘’Why?’’ Jacqueline asked, genuinely interested in Jane's answer. 

‘’Jacqueline!’’ Jane almost yelled.

‘’What?!’’ The older woman questioned, chuckling adorably, and showing off her beautiful white teeth-  _STOP!!_ Jane repeated to herself. She had to stop. 

‘’She. is. terrifying.’’ Jane lowered the tone of her voice for a dramatic effect and glared at Jacqueline.

Jacqueline let out a low laugh and took another sip of her alcohol. ‘’Do people run from me too?’’ She asked teasingly.

‘’What's there to run from?’’ Jane asked as if it were so plainly simple. Jacqueline on the other hand, froze. She was curious, she wanted desperately for Jane elaborate on that comment. 

‘’What do you mean?’’ She asked unable to stop herself. 

Jane was just about to take another sip from her glass but stopped in her tracks. 

‘’I mean, what is there to run from - a trustworthy boss? And incredible mentor? A woman that inspires other women to be their best selves? A gorgeous, stunning…’’ Jane slowed the pace of her talking ‘’beautiful… sexy… woman?’’ 

Jane’s eyes dropped to Jacqueline’s lips. She should stop. Goddamn she needed to stop. 

They stayed there for a while until she realized just how heavy her eyelids were.  _Shit_. 

She was way more drunk than she should’ve been. Jane bolted up from the couch as if something had stung her. Something had actually stung her. Her stupid mouth.  _Fuck my life. Fuck it hard._ she thought to herself and tried spotting her handbag in the office that now seemed enormous to her. She heard someone, probably Jacqueline, saying something to her but everything, her vision, her hearing, her thinking was blurry. She felt Jacqueline put her hands around Jane’s shoulders for support, but Jane was very eager to get out of here. She needed to get out.  _Now._

 

**10pm.**

The minute Jane got home everything started spinning. Holding onto the doorframe she steadied herself; hoping to find her balance. A thing that was obviously pretty foreign to her. And here she thought she was actually growing up for once, and not making awful, awful decisions she would probably regret for the rest of her life. And probably in the afterlife too; if there even was such a thing. Jane sure hoped there was, because honestly? She deserves this suffering. She deserves it and she’ll make sure every second of it count. 

_God, WHY?!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jacqueline suggests that her and Jane should do something together and they do. But what good comes out of it?

**** **Friday, 29th of September.**

‘’Jane, I think we should talk about some of the things that happened this past week.’’   


 The brunette’s eyes went wide. She had completely forgotten about that. Blocked it from her memory in fact. She wasn’t ready for this talk. And now it was happening, it was one hundred percent happening; she was sure that this was one of the reasons, if not the sole reason Jacqueline had invited her in the first place.

‘’I was waiting for you to come talk to me about it, I respect the fact that you may have needed time, but since this involves work, I just can’t ignore it anymore."   


 ‘’I know," Jane sighed, "and I’m sorry. I tried apologizing on Thursday but-‘’   


‘’No, no. This isn’t about what happened on Monday. Although, that was definitely what started…’’ she bit her lip which made Jane bite hers. God, she was getting more and more attached to the blonde, even though she knew what was about to happen in 3… 2… 1-

 

**Tuesday, 26th of September. 3 days earlier.**   
 

_Fashion closet before work?? I’m in DESPERATE need of advice._  Jane urgently typed out a message to the group chat she, Kat and Sutton shared.

_Sutton: Of course._ _  
_

_Kat: be there asap_

 Jane sat down on the white sofa in the fashion closet and crossed her legs. She hadn’t slept at all last night. Surprisingly, she wasn’t even hungover. The things that were said last night though, those are what had kept her up all night.

‘’Hey, what’s up?’’ Kat entered the fashion closet, followed closely by Sutton.

‘’I don’t even know where to start with this, so I’ll say it real quick and we’ll see where it goes from there. So, yesterday. The article thing.’’ Jane looked at both of her friends to make sure they understood what she was talking about. They were listening carefully. ‘’Jacqueline and I agreed to meet in her office after she’d read the article.’’    


‘’Ooo, did you guys bang?’’ Kat asked, sarcastically.

‘’Kat!’’ Sutton slammed her elbow in Kat’s ribs. 

‘’Sorry, sorry. Go on, Jane’’ she apologized, still smiling.   


‘’She loved the article. She told me it was perfect. Jacqueline Carlyle, the Editor-in-Chief of the Scarlet magazine told me my article was perfect, what could’ve gone wrong, right? Well, I guess I’m the only person who can completely mess up the first big break in my career.’’  

Kat and Sutton’s eyebrows furrowed, waiting patiently as Jane took a deep breath.

‘’After telling me my article was perfect, she said she’d give me more freedom when it came to choosing the subjects I want to write about.’’ 

‘’Jane, that’s fantastic!’’ Sutton almost yelled, clearly so very proud of her friend.

‘’Yeah it is, then she suggested we toast that with some scotch. We started talking and, well, we talked for more than two hours, and then we drank some more and then some more, and I hadn’t realized how drunk I’d gotten-‘’   


‘’Oh my _god_ , you guys  _did_  bang!’’ Kat exclaimed out of nowhere.

‘’Oh come on, Kat, really?’’ Sutton made a face, clearly showing her annoyance with Kat’s inappropriate comments.

‘’I just can’t help myself, I mean, you want to tell me this doesn’t sound like some cliché 2000s rom-com but gay?’’ She asked, making a serious face.   


‘’Guys, please. I really do need your support on this. I know you don’t know the whole story yet, but please stay with me." Jane spoke up, interrupting her friends. 

‘’You’re right, I’m sorry. Please go on, I promise I’ll tame myself.’’ Kat apologized, again.

‘’It’s okay. Anyway, we started talking about the office and I told Jacqueline how everyone else is always running away from Lauren, and then she asked if anyone ever ran from her and I said no, why would anyone want to do that? And then she asked what I meant and I explained.’’ Jane stopped and looked at her hands.   


Kat looked at Sutton, both exchanging worried looks. ‘’How did you explain it?’’ Sutton asked.   


‘’I said something like ‘what is there to run from - an incredible mentor? A trustworthy boss? An inspiring woman?’ And then slowly, I started adding words like, beautiful, and stunning, gorgeous, and then... sexy.’’ Jane looked up at her two friends. The pair seemed to be waiting for the story to continue, but Jane stared back at them; not elaborating any further. 

‘’That’s it?’’ Kat exclaimed with a frown. 

‘’Yeah, Jane,’’ Sutton joined in, ‘’I don’t understand the problem. That’s like the biggest compliment you could ever pay to another woman.’’   


‘’I know. I guess it’s the thing I did after that that ruined everything.’’ Jane sighed out. ‘’I looked at her lips, probably for too long and after saying all that, I just, I stared for a long time guys, a very long time.’’ She explained in a panic. ‘’And after that I ran out.  I lost my mind and ran out without even saying ‘good bye', without any explanation." Groaning slightly, Jane hid her face in her hands.   


‘’Oh, uhm…’’ Kat looked at Sutton clearly unable to figure out what to say. Sutton looked almost as confused, but decided to speak up anyway. ‘’Jane, a lot of people have crushes on their bosses. And I honestly can’t blame you, Jacqueline’s an amazing boss and mentor, and all those adjectives you used are really true…’' 

‘’Yeah, you’re not the first and you won't be the last person to fall for a person in a position of power. That’s always sexy as hell. I mean, ask Sutton, she’s one of those victims’’ Kat added with a smirk. 

 ‘’Let’s ignore the second part of what she just said, okay?’’ Sutton rolled her eyes. 

‘’I think a lot of young women hold a special place in their hearts for older women. I think I’m not just speaking for myself when I say that we’ve all had crushes on older women at some point in our lives. For me it was my teacher in high school, for Kat… well for Kat it’s women in general. And for you it just happened to be Jacqueline and it’s fine, Jane. These things happen. And to make yourself feel bad about it is the worst thing you can do.’’

‘’Exactly,’’ Kat agreed, ‘’and you also need to know that we’re here to support you. Always. There's no need to be embarrassed and this surely can't be the first time it's happened to Jacqueline.’’ She held her hand out for Jane to take it, but she didn’t.

‘’Guys, you have it all wrong. I do  _not_  have a crush on Jacqueline!’’ Jane said, almost shocked at the allegations her friends had made.   


‘’Right, and I’m a virgin.’’ Kat smirked.   


‘’Kat!!’’ Both Jane and Sutton yelled.

 

**Wednesday, 27th of September.**

Jacqueline was getting ready for the weekly meeting with her writers. Her morning had been pleasantly peaceful. Probably because her boys were staying with their father this week and because she woke up an hour earlier than usual and had the time to do everything as slow as she wanted to. Not a lot of people would guess this, but Jacqueline Carlyle wasn’t an early riser. Her mornings were usually very rushed and hectic. And yet, the minute she’d step into the building of her magazine, she would transform into the Editor-in-Chief. That was her strongest social mask yet. Everyone believed in that one; believed she was a perfect human being. But Jacqueline Carlyle isn’t perfect. She’s definitely perfect at hiding her imperfections though. Not in a bad way, in order to be the boss she just had to. And it wasn’t like she was lying about who she really was. She just kept the private information to herself, which was smart, but could also be incredibly lonely. Have no one to confide in took its toll some days.    


For two decades her best friend, someone she’d face everything with had been her husband. She still talked to her ex-husband and had dinner with him from time to time. They were in a good place. They had fun together, but the romantic love just wasn’t there anymore. They realized they'd married for friendship, companionship and not really for love. The realization came 20 years later though, that’s why it hurt so much. They weren’t really able to speak to each other for weeks after the divorce. And it was still a bit weird even now, and how could you blame them? 20 years was a long time. 

Thankfully they managed to keep their divorce silent. It had surprised Jacqueline how okay she felt after that. She had been worrying about being single again, worried it would make her feel miserable, but that wasn’t the case at all. She felt lively. She could do (almost) everything she wanted to. If anything, the feeling was incredibly liberating. 

She entered her office, closely followed by Andrew with her coffee. After the short briefing with her assistant she finally sat down and looked around her office. Her eyes falling to the red sofa on the other side of the room. The memories of two days ago started flooding in. Jane still hadn’t talked to her. In fact, she had barely seen the younger woman in the last few days. She assumed there was a reason for that. A reason that the girl was avoiding Jacqueline like the plague. 

_Gorgeous, stunning… beautiful… sexy…_  

Jane’s voice echoed in Jacqueline’s head. She wasn't gonna lie, the compliment had made her feel really good. Excited even. The problem was that it came from Jane Sloan. Her employee. Her much younger employee.   


Jacqueline shook her head. These thoughts needed to go away. She needed to focus. Just then, Andrew opened the door and let her know that the meeting would begin in 5 minutes.

* * *

‘’Good morning, everyone.’’ Jacqueline entered the room and sat down in her usual spot at the end of the table which was basically directly adjacent to Jane’s. 

‘’I’d like to hear your suggestions, your ideas’’ she smiled at everyone, ‘’what have you got?’’

Jane was in the middle of crossing her legs under the table when she accidentally brushed her leg against Jacqueline’s. The sudden physical contact made the older woman jump a little. Jane’s eyes shot up and she met Jacqueline’s blue orbs. Jacqueline drew a quick breath while licking her lips that had gone dry all of a sudden. Gathering herself she looked at the rest of the people sitting around the table and continued the meeting. Jane tried her best to listen to what people were saying, but failed miserably. She kept repeating the few seconds when she met Jacqueline’s eyes over and over again in her mind.

_Was that… sexual tension?_

 

**Thursday, 28th of September.**

Jacqueline heard a knock and her office door opening. She looked up to see Jane standing awkwardly in the doorway. The young woman seemed distressed and she knew exactly why. Jacqueline felt bad for the brunette, but she knew that the time would come when it was meant to come and it seemed like that time was now.

‘’Can I talk to you?’’ Jane asked, unable to make eye contact for more than one… two… three seconds.

‘’I don’t know if you  _can_ , but you may, if you want to.’’ Jacqueline smiled at the younger woman. She saw Jane’s shoulders relax at the warmth in her voice. 

‘’Yeah, uhm…’’ Jane paused, her eyes wandering around the office, clearly trying to put her thoughts together, ‘’I don’t really know how to say what I want to say. It’s probably not even that big of a deal and I’m just exaggerating everything, but…’’ she paused again and took at deep breath, ‘’I just, I guess I’m sorry? For the way I acted? For the things I said, that, it was totally inappropriate-‘’

‘’Jane’’

‘’…and I promise that that will never ever happen again and-‘’   


‘’Jane’’   


‘’Well, first of all, I’ve made it very clear to myself that I should _never_ drink with my boss, no matter how much I feel like I need the alcohol’’   


‘’ _Jane._ ’’    


The younger woman’s eyes shot up, finally acknowledging the fact Jacqueline was calling her name for the hundredth time.  _Awkward._   


‘’Yes?’’    


‘’Come here.’’ 

‘’Is that really a good idea?’’ Jane asked warily. 

Jacqueline didn’t say anything. She knew why Jane had asked her that. Ever since Monday she’d being feeling a sort of tension whenever she and Jane were in the same room. Yesterday at the meeting she had felt such a jolt of electricity from the contact she had with Jane’s leg. And since then the level of sexual tension had gone up by at least 90% 

‘’I think we need to do something together.’’ Jacqueline finally spoke up.   


‘’Excuse me?’’ Jane asked, in complete disbelief of what she’d just heard.

‘’I think we need to get out of the office and do something together… talk, don’t you?’’ She asked and looked at Jane with the most intense eye contact. ‘’I mean, I’m not saying this without a good enough reason. I actually have two invitations to go listen to Tchaikovsky’s sixth at Carnegie hall. I’ve been wanting for one of our young writers to do a piece on classical music and its culture today for a really long time and I think you’d be perfect for it, Jane. I think you could find something very specific and do a wonderful article on it.’’ She smiled.   


‘’Wow, thank you for that opportunity, but I’m not sure I’m the right person for this. I know nothing about classical music. I might have been to one classical concert in my life, that’s it.’’

‘’Well, then you’re even more perfect for the job. I want a fresh eye on this. So, a young woman like you giving your perspective on this to young women reading our magazine is the best scenario I could’ve asked for.’’    


‘’Uh, okay.’’ She paused and scratched her head. ‘’When is it?’’

‘’Tomorrow, actually. 7pm.’’ 

‘’Okay, I’ll be there.’’ Jane smiled and turned around to leave the office. She stopped by the door and looked at Jacqueline once again. ‘’What should I wear to a concert like that?’’

‘’A classic dress or a pantsuit will do’’ Jacqueline answered, already lost in her emails.   


All Jane did was nod and off she went.

 

**Friday, 29th of September.**

 Jacqueline was waiting for the young writer by the Carnegie hall entrance. The brunette was late and Jacqueline wondered if she would come at all. She didn’t have to wonder long though, as she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around and there she was, standing right in front of the older woman. The younger woman had her hair in an up-do that left a few strands of hair framing her face. Jane had decided on a pantsuit. Jacqueline laughed to herself. Coincidentally they both had.

Jacqueline had gone with a beige suit, a color that matched oh-so nicely with her red blouse, heels and lips.  _Oh, god, those red lips._  Jane had of course gone with a black pantsuit, the color that had always made her the most comfortable. Funnily enough, she was also wearing a red blouse and lip.  _Kat wasn’t wrong when she suggested this reminded her of a 2000s rom-com_  Jane thought to herself. In fact, Jane was starting to think this felt an awful lot like a date, which only made her want to let the panic that had been brewing inside her for days run wild. But she knew she couldn’t do that. She was here to work. Kind of, sort of.  _To_ ** _do_** _work_. _Ha, Kat would be proud of this one. Okay, shut up now._ _  
_

‘’You look good, Jane’’ Jacqueline smiled at the younger girl.

‘’Thank you, you too’’ Jane answered quickly, trying to avoid saying anything else.

The both women started moving towards the entrance and stopped to stand in the line.

‘’So, can you tell me anything about this concert at all? I assume you go to these kinds of things a lot, so you know a lot about classical music?’’ Jane asked.

‘’Yeah, I do’’ Jacqueline answered, ‘’I actually studied classical music, so I can tell you quite a lot about this’’ she looked at Jane to see brunette’s reaction. Jane’s face showed interest but she didn’t say anything. ‘’So the symphony that we’re gonna hear tonight is Tchaikovsky’s last one. Number six. It is said that this symphony is his swan song. A swan song in classical music translates to composer’s last work as a farewell. So, if a composer’s dying, he’d write a piece and say his good byes in it.’’ She paused. 

‘’I mean, that’s what they taught me in school, but I never agreed with it. Tchaikovsky’s sixth is definitely not his swan song. I always butted heads with teachers when it came to talking about this work. I had read so many letters written by Tchaikovsky’s family and friends in archives and all of them said that Tchaikovsky had never been this happy about his work. He was truly proud of it. Plus,’’ she signaled with her index finger, ‘’Tchaikovsky didn’t know he was gonna die. He was murdered. Poisoned. Just because of his sexuality.’’ Jacqueline looked away, ‘’that’s why I was always so passionate about his creations. I feel that if you know all this about him, his music will speak for itself. And this symphony, this symphony has always made me tear up’’ she chuckled, ‘’when you first hear it, you’d think that there’s just a lot of beautiful melodies in it, but no. There’s so much passion and so much hurt…’’ she looked at Jane again, the younger woman was still listening with so much interest which Jacqueline smiled at. ‘’I mean, I don’t want to spoil it for you, so we’re just gonna leave it at that.’’ She squeezed Jane’s shoulder. 

‘’Wow, Jacqueline…’’ Jane was shocked, but in a good way. ‘’That is absolutely incredible, that you know all that…’’ she looked at the floor, trying to find something else to say, but she was too amazed and speechless. ‘’I didn't realise Tchaikovsky was gay. I mean, he’s one of the most popular composers in the world, even I had heard of his name, but I had no idea…’’ she looked at the blonde. Jacqueline was looking at Jane with those beautiful blue eyes of hers, clearly appreciating Jane’s enthusiasm about this. 

‘’Well, I’ve always felt you should know at least a few details about a composer before listening to their pieces. Tchaikovsky’s sexuality played a huge role in his writing. Music was basically the only thing through which he could talk about it. Because, you know, if you spoke about it publicly in 19th century Russia, you were seen as someone sick, someone with a defect.’’   


‘’Horrible.’’ Jane shook her head in disgust. This small conversation that she’d just had with Jacqueline had made her think so much. She was excited to hear the music now. She couldn’t wait for it to start, actually.

Both women found their seats and sat down. The orchestra started filling the stage. After they were eventually all seated, the conductor came out, bowed to the audience and put his hands up which was a sign for the orchestra to get ready to play. And so the music started filling the concert hall. At one point during the first movement, Jacqueline leaned in and whispered in Jane’s ear.   


 ‘’The second theme is coming up. Remember what I told you before.’’   


Jacqueline’s hot breath on Jane’s neck gave her goosebumps. And then the promised second theme started playing and it sent shivers through Jane’s body. She felt a tear falling down her cheek. She turned to look at Jacqueline to see the blonde looking back at her.    


_‘’Oh my god’’_ she mouthed which made Jacqueline squeeze her hand, for support. 

Jane would have never thought music you know basically nothing about could affect you so powerfully.  _His music will speak for itself_. Jacqueline’s voice echoed in her head. 

His music was stunning.

  


**2 hours later, 10pm.**   


The two women walked out of Carnegie hall. They hadn’t said a word to each other since the symphony ended. Jane was still in awe of what had just happened. Jacqueline was enjoying the pleasure that the music had always given her.

They walked a block in complete silence until Jane spoke up. 

‘’Thank you, Jacqueline, for this…’’ she paused, ‘’I’m still speechless. I haven’t been in a trance like this for a really long time. Tonight really surprised me in a wonderful way.’’ 

Jacqueline smiled at the younger woman. ‘’I’m really glad you liked it so much and most importantly, connected with the music on such a high level. I have never experienced anyone with little to no experience in classical music to have that kind of reaction to it. It only shows how much you could do in your life, Jane.’’ She said and stopped, putting her hands in the pockets of her pantsuit. She looked down and cleared her throat, ‘’Jane, I think we should talk about some of the things that happened this past week.’’   


The brunette’s eyes went wide. She had completely forgotten about that. Blocked it from her memory in fact. She wasn’t ready for this talk. And now it was happening, it was one hundred percent happening; she was sure that this was one of the reasons, if not the sole reason Jacqueline had invited her in the first place.   


‘’I was waiting for you to come talk to me about it, I respect the fact that you may have needed time, but since this involves work, I just can’t ignore it anymore."

‘’I know,’’ Jane sighed, ‘’and I’m sorry. I tried apologizing on Thursday but-‘’   


‘’No, no. This isn’t about what happened on Monday. Although, that was definitely what started…’’ she bit her lip which made Jane bite hers. God, she was getting more and more attached to the blonde, even though she knew what was about to happen in 3… 2… 1-

 ‘’I think you’ll agree with me that there's a, tension, building between us.’’ Jacqueline looked at Jane for any kind of reaction. All Jane could answer to that was mutter a Mhm. Her heart was racing like crazy. This conversation made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.   


Jane was waiting for Jacqueline to continue, but the problem was, she didn't. Jane even made the effort to make eye contact and by doing so, realized that the older woman did not intend to continue. 

They were just standing there, staring at each other in silence; melting into one another’s eyes. At this point they didn’t even have to communicate through talking. All was said through a pair of brown orbs meeting the blue ones when suddenly Jane burst out laughing.   


‘’God, do you really want me to say it?’’ She asked the older woman, ‘’what good will it do?’’ 

Jacqueline didn’t say anything, just watched the younger woman with that incomprehensible look of hers. Jane’s breathing quickened and for the first time she didn’t break eye contact after 3 seconds. She looked into Jacqueline’s eyes intensely and finally spoke up.   


‘’I'm attracted to you. Incredibly attracted to you. The funny thing is, I had never felt anything like this until Monday, when we were talking in your office. The thought of you in that way had never even crossed my mind until then. So I can’t even explain it, if that’s what you wanted me to do. I just know that working for you has been the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me and I would never do anything to jeopardize it.’’ She paused, ‘’so you shouldn’t worry about this  _tension_  that we have’’ she said stressing the word, ‘’because I really am doing my very best to stop… whatever this is.’’ She finally drew a breath big enough to survive. Otherwise the lack of O2 would’ve killed her.   


‘’The problem isn’t just you’’ Jacqueline finally spoke after a long silence. 

‘’What!’’ it wasn’t even a question. The word just sprung out of Jane’s mouth aggressively.

‘’I’ve been feeling something too.’’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't even put it into words how thankful i am for the incredible response on the first chapter from all of you. i was truly speechless and your feedback was what kept me going, because i struggled with this chapter a lot.  
> a million thank yous again!
> 
> please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, constructive criticism is always welcome.  
> mwuah!
> 
> p.s. kinkmekingston is a goddess, i will never stop thanking that wonderful human being.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teasing, teasing, talking and...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with the next chapter! For this one all you have to remember from the previous chapter is that no one knows about Jacqueline's divorce.  
> I'm actually quite proud of this chapter and hope you guys are gonna like it too. Your thoughts on each chapter always keeps me going!♥️  
> Mwuah!

**Friday, 29th of September. Later that night.**

So many things were running through Jane’s mind at once. The young woman was sitting in the subway, making her way home.

“…it doesn’t really make sense, I’ve thought about it and I’ve come to the conclusion that this is just an attraction. We're all attracted to people in our lives at one point or another. That doesn't mean we have to act on it.  Besides, you’re so young…”

Jacqueline’s voice was still echoing in Jane’s mind.  _Those numbers again. She is so smart. So experienced. Yet she can’t grasp the idea that a number alone means absolutely nothing in certain cases,_  Jane thought to herself.

“Of course.” Jane had replied and Jacqueline winced at that. It was obvious Jane didn’t completely agree with her. Could Jacqueline have done anything about it at that moment? No. 

They were from different generations. Things that made complete sense to Jane, didn’t make any to Jacqueline and vice versa. 

The two women had stared at each other in silence. Neither of them knowing what to say next. Or, if they did, neither one wanting to say it out loud.

“Well, I’ll be going then “ Jane had said. “Thank you again, for the tickets. I’ll get started on the article as soon as possible.” Before she turned around to leave with a sad smile. 

She kind of hoped, waited for Jacqueline to call her name, to stop her, but it didn’t happen. Jane didn’t even look back. The younger woman just kept walking away quickly until she found herself sitting in the subway waiting for a train. 

_That was that then._

 

**Monday, October 2nd.**

Jane, Kat and Sutton walked out of the elevator on the Scarlet magazine floor. The three best friends had had a coffee together earlier in the morning so they could catch up on each other’s busy, busy lives. 

For the first time in their friendship, Jane had decided on not telling her friends about the event that took place on Friday. All she had told them was that she and their boss had gone to a concert together; because Jacqueline had wanted Jane to write an article on it. That’s it. The young writer felt bad about it, but how could she tell them if she herself had no idea what was really happening? 

Her  so-called ‘talk’ with Jacqueline had confused her even more. On a lighter note though, Jane had started feeling more and more confident in herself. She realized she was the only one struggling with whatever was happening between the two women. As bad at it sounded, she felt relieved. Jacqueline’s unwillingness had confused her, of course. The woman who had always had strong point of view and always knew what to say in any kind of situation was being more silent than ever. Jane didn’t think it was her problem though. Not anymore.

The young women parted in the office, all three of them claiming their desks in the bullpen. Jane sat down and looked at their boss’ office. Jacqueline was standing in her view, facing the window and talking on her phone. The older woman seemed to glow. Even as she turned to the side with a frown, she still sparkled a magnetising aura. And it wasn’t just her looks (though clearly that played a huge part in Jane's attraction), but it was just… her. Her being; even her breathing left Jane herself breathless.  _Oh god, I’m in too deep,_ Jane whined to herself.

It was not long before 10am would hit and staff from all the departments would meet to talk about the ideas for the next issue. Jane sat down next to Alex, per usual, trying to feign even a shred of normalcy. 

“Hey, how are you doing? I feel like we haven’t talked for ages!” Jane stated, smiling at her colleague.

“I’m doing surprisingly well, thanks.” He answered, “you?”

“Bearable” Jane mumbled jokingly but couldn’t elaborate further as chatter in the room suddenly fell silent and their boss entered the room.

“Good morning, everyone!” Jacqueline greeted everyone. That included Jane. The older woman made eye contact with the brunette and Jane’s heart stopped. She was just about to look away, hiding her face behind her hair, but she stopped herself. 

_Don’t do that. You don’t have to do that._

Jane leant on the table in front of her and put her right hand on her chin; forcibly maintaining eye contact. Her eyes locked on Jacqueline’s. This simple action threw Jacqueline completely off. She was just about to say something when the words got lost on their way out of her mouth. She gulped.  _Omg._ Jacqueline’s hesitation made Jane smile. She, Jane Sloan, little Jane, had teased the older woman and it had had an effect on the blonde.

_This is gonna be fun._

 

**Tuesday, October 3rd.**

Tuesday was the writers’ meeting. Jacqueline, the writers and Jane. Jacqueline. The writers. And Jane. Jacqueline. And Jane. In the same room. A Smaller room than yesterday.

In any other situation Jane would probably want to run away in panic, but not anymore. She was actually excited. The teasing that had occurred yesterday had made her feel that much more confident. Besides, watching Jacqueline stumble and lose concentration had made Jane feel exhilarated. And suddenly she was desperate for more; addicted even. Addicted to teasing this particular woman and the feelings she evoked. Jane sat down in her usual spot which was right next to Jacqueline’s at the end of the table.

The older woman entered the room. Glowing again.  _Ugh._ It was almost annoying.

“Good morning, everyone!” She greeted once again and making eye contact with everyone… everyone but Jane.

_Are you serious?!_ Jane thought to herself. Were they playing  games now? Right now it felt like Jane had stolen Jacky’s precious teddy bear and wouldn't give it back, so in return poor little Jacky decided to ignore her. _At least there’s no tears involved._

The meeting seemed to go on for forever. Jacqueline had of course decided to hear Jane’s pitches last.

“Well, I’m still working on that article about the concert we both went to, together,” Jane blurted out without a care in the world. She felt Jacqueline tense up. “But I’ve also kind of started thinking about private life stuff and, this might surprise you, but I’ve got no political pitches this time.” She looked at Jacqueline who was staring at the table in front of her, pretending she’s concentrating on every word Jane’s saying. “Sexual tension in the workplace. Do we go for it?” She read out a title for an article and looked at Jacqueline once again. This time Jacqueline was looking right back at her.

“And what would you write about this topic exactly?” The older woman asked, casually.

“Oh, you know, there’s obviously laws about office romance, but what if it’s something real? And what if one of the person is not willing to talk about it? And the other person is left confused? And nothing gets resolved but the tension is still there? What do you do then?” Jane answered just as casually. Jacqueline swallowed. _Hard._ Her breathing becoming more laboured. 

“Come to my office later today, we’ll talk about it then.” With that said, she got up and left the room. The writers were all left stunned, all feeling as if something had just transpired.    
_Oops?_

 

**Later that day.**

Jane was kicking her legs under the table. She’d been wondering if she'd gone too far today. She had never seen Jacqueline so… cold? Was that the right word? The blonde had always showed so much interest and love whenever she spoke to someone. 

Today’s interaction with her had been the most personal AND impersonal. Jane realized if she continued teasing the blonde and making her uncomfortable, she could lose her job. She also remembered Jacqueline was married, had two boys and a dog. She had completely forgotten about that. She’d been so self-centred lately, thinking about nothing but her own feelings. She'd completely ignored the fact that Jacqueline actually had a life outside the office. As far as Jane knew, Jacqueline had a family. A very straight family, in fact.

Jacqueline’s office door opened. The blonde looked at Jane and motioned for her to come into the office. Jane took a deep breath and got up. This reminded her awfully lot about the last week’s encounter in Jacqueline’s office that started all this.

Both women walked into the office; Jane first, followed by Jacqueline. The younger woman turned around to finally face the older woman, but that only resulted in Jane running smack into Jacqueline. The blonde let out a surprised  _umpfh_  which came from the back of her throat making Jane gulp. 

The women made eye contact; both highly aware of each others’ closeness. Jane desperately wished Jacqueline’s office walls weren’t made from glass, she would’ve leant in and taken the blonde right then and there. Something in Jacqueline’s expression told her she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. 

The older woman inhaled through her nose and exhaled a long, long breath to calm herself down. To control some of the tension in the room. 

“Okay,” she began talking, “it was really wrong of me not to fully address this when we went to the concert. I usually don’t do that. I don’t leave things unfinished. But you’ve got to understand that this is not a normal situation to be in, Jane,” Jacqueline looked at the younger woman, licking her lips, “I think we both know the sexual tension between us is growing each day and the more I try not to think about it, the more it grows and… I thought we both needed to talk about it openly, frankly, tell each other how we really feel. Ignore the fact that we’re the boss and the employee. Pretend we’re just two people, nothing more, what do you say?”

Jane looked into those beautiful, beautiful ocean-blue eyes, “uh, yes." She stuttered in awe.

“Are you free now?’’ Jacqueline asked, “we could do it here, in my office, if you don’t mind.”

Jane almost choked. She hadn’t heard the phrase we could do it here correctly at first.  _Ah, man!_

The brunette cleared her throat and answered with “sure” before being led to the red coach by Jacqueline’s hand on her shoulder blades.  _The fantasies._

The women sat down just staring at each other. Maybe it was the awkwardness of the situation, maybe it was the unending eye contact, maybe it was the nervousness, but suddenly both women burst into laughter. That definitely helped lighten the mood, because suddenly they didn’t feel so nervous anymore.

 

**30 minutes later.**

“I’ve actually been thinking about this for the past few days - maybe if we just got it over with, maybe we could get passed it, you know?” Jane offered, “but then I remember that you have a husband and a family and that you can’t afford to do things like that” Jane smiled sadly.

“Not exactly.” Jacqueline said and looked away. 

Jane frowned, not really understanding what the older woman was talking about. “What do you mean?” She asked.

The blonde sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “I haven’t told anyone” she looked at the brown eyed woman, “and I don’t know if I should, I’m not even sure why I brought this up.” She fell silent, looking at something in her office.

“There’s always a reason for everything” Jane tried to get the older woman back to reality as smoothly as possible. 

Jacqueline smiled at that and raised her eyebrows, “Well, my husband and I are recently divorced, actually” she chuckled in her throat. It was weird telling someone this. Especially one of her employees that made her feel and act out of character. 

“What.” Jane had this habit of just blurting out the word ‘what’ it not even being a question.

“Yeah, some things just don’t work out in life and my marriage was one of them, I guess.’’ 

“I’m so sorry…”

“It’s fine, Jane, really, I’m fine. I actually haven’t felt this okay for a while. Thank you though, for the support” the older woman smiled.

“Of course…” Jane said, not really knowing what to say next or if she even should say something more. 

“But about that other thing, the ‘getting it over’ part, I’ve thought about it too” Jacqueline looked at Jane teasingly, meaning it more as a joke, ‘’But that wouldn’t be ethical, would it? It would make things really awkward in the office, I think.”

They were interrupted by the office door opening. Richard apologized before asking Jacqueline some sort of corporate question. “Give me a minute, okay?” She said politely and turned back to Jane. “I guess that’s all the time we have,” she smiled apologizingly, “are we okay?”

Jane smiled at the question, “More than okay.” She said as she got up from the coach. The women exchanged nods as Jane moved passed her boss and left the office. Jacqueline was left sitting on the coach, thinking about the conversation she’d just had.

_Why._

 

**End of the work day, 8pm.**

Jane walked out of the bullpen, pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come. Her conversation with Jacqueline earlier in the day, echoed loudly in her mind. Two things had shocked her. One, their ability to talk about basically having sex and getting it over with so openly and two, Jacqueline's divorce. She really did mean it when she'd apologized. But somewhere deep, deep down she was… unwillingly happy about it? Jane was a very jealous person and knowing that her crush was totally available and free made her excited.

The elevator dinged and the door opened. Jane walked on, pressing the ground floor button. She was so lost-in-thought that she hadn’t even realized someone else had stepped on the elevator too. That someone, of course, had to be Jacqueline.

As much as she really did believe her and Jacqueline were okay, being alone with the woman in such a small space made Jane extremely nervous.

The two women made eye contact and smiled at each other, nervously. Jacqueline cleared her throat but didn’t say anything. Jane tucked a hair strand behind her ear. The tension in the elevator was building up like a motherf-   
“So what are you doing in the office so late?” Jacqueline asked.

“Just finished sorting our some of the mess I made over the past few weeks. Also I was trying to finish that concert article.” Jane said glancing quickly at the other woman. The elevator finally stopped on the ground floor and the doors pinging open. 

Jane moved to exit quickly. 

“I guess I’ll be going then” she smiled at the older woman.

“Have a good night, Jane” the blonde replied.

Jane started walking towards toward the exit when she finally took the biggest breath she’s ever taken and spun around.

“Would you go have a drink with me?" She asked. "Now?” She finished with the most courage she’d ever had.

Jacqueline looked up from her iPhone, surprised. The older woman didn’t reply right away. She observed the brunette. But Jane  noticed that the older woman’s breathing had quickened. She was nervous, _oh my!_

“I’d like that, yeah.” She replied with a smile. She could see that Jane hadn’t expected such a willing ‘yes’ and chuckled inwardly. The younger woman was surprised. Good surprised. Jacqueline could spot that really cute twinkle in Jane’s eye when she’s really excited about something. “You have somewhere in mind?”

“Oh yeah, the very best for the very best” she winked at the older woman.

_Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are about to get spicy in the next chapter ;)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane had promised herself she'd never drink with her boss ever again... ooops.

**Tuesday, October 3rd. Late into the night.**

“Jane, this doesn’t seem like the best area to be this time of the night”, Jacqueline said worriedly as she looked around nervously. It wasn’t as if she felt too posh or fancy for such and area, merely that the suspicious neighbourhood had had her genuinely anxious.

“I promise it’s fine. We’re gonna be there soon.” Jane looked at the older woman as they walked side by side and flashed her a comforting. “I happened to stumble upon it a few months ago when I was going out with a friend and then I kept going back, ‘cause the atmosphere in there is incredible, you’ll see.”

“Going  _out_ with a  _friend_ , huh?” Jacqueline asked teasingly and raised her right eyebrow. Jane laughed angelically and something in Jacqueline’s stomach twisted. Perhaps  _those_  were the butterflies’ romance novels always went on about.

“Yeah, it wasn’t like  _that_ ” Jane giggled and looked down at her feet.

After a long pause, Jacqueline asked: “Is this like  _that_?”

Jane stopped in her tracks, but then quickly walked to catch up and seem as natural as possible. She couldn’t believe Jacqueline had just asked her that. What should she even say? Jacqueline’s behaviour for the past few days had left her so confused. “Do you want this to be like that?” She asked curiously, her tone cautious.

Jacqueline looked at the younger woman with that loving expression she tends to use on all her prodigies. “I guess we’ll have to see.” She winked at Jane and started walking closer to her side, her shoulder brushing against Jane’s. That not only made the brunette’s heart jump up like something had stung it, but also sent a very sensual feeling right down her-  _oh my god_ Jane thought to herself. She shouldn’t get  _this_ turned on so early into the night.

_Good god._

* * *

 

Jessie’s Tavern was filled with people. It was small, but oh so nice. The interior reminded Jacqueline of something like a small library. There were shelves all around it and library-like wooden tables. There were many different-coloured sparkling lights hanging from the ceiling and the chatter of patrons was warm and welcoming. She completely understood what Jane had meant by the incredible atmosphere this bar embodied.

“Library bar, huh? Should I be surprised?” Jacqueline nudged Jane. It looked like Jane almost blushed which made Jacqueline laugh. The younger woman was adorable.

“Do you like it?” Jane asked self-consciously.

Jacqueline looked around and then turned to the younger woman. “I love it.” she smiled. Jane looked right into the older woman’s eyes and got lost in them oh-so fast. They stood there for a while until Jacqueline snapped out of the moment and motioned towards the bar. “Shall we?”

“Yes, let’s.”

 

**A couple of drinks later.**

The women had moved into a booth tucked away in a corner. The bar was becoming almost overwhelming. Too many people, too much noise, not nearly enough focus on just the two of them. The women had talked about everything and anything.  The topics ranged from Jane’s mother, to Jacqueline’s ex-husband. From Jane’s private life, to Jacqueline’s two boys. The women were bonding fast and strongly, and it had surprised both of them immensely. 

“I thought that you made it very clear to yourself that you should never drink with your boss” Jacqueline commented teasingly with a coy smile tugging on her lips.

“Sometimes you gotta change things up, try not to fall into a routine” Jane answered, just as teasingly.

They were staring at each other, yet again. Jacqueline was sucking her drink through the straw seductively and Jane couldn’t keep her eyes off of  _those lips_. _Those gorgeous red lips_. She bit her own lip and tried to control her level of arousal. They weren’t even talking anymore. Just observing one another like art. Neither one dared to break the spell that had settled between them. 

A certain song started playing and Jane flung her head around and looked the DJ’s way. The brunette’s body started swaying along to the music, without her even realizing it. Jacqueline on the other hand noticed her movement right away.

“Do you want to dance?” She asked the younger woman.

Jane looked at the woman sitting across her, bewildered. “Do you?”

Without answering, Jacqueline got up from her seat and reached for Jane’s hand. Jane took it nervously and was led by Jacqueline to the dance floor. Both of the women were quite tipsy at this point, which had Jane worrying slightly. They weren’t drunk, however if something were to happen, it would happen because they both wanted it and they’d remember every second of it. A teeny tiny bit of alcohol courage never hurt anyone, right? 

And suddenly Jane felt confident. Very confident. Stupidly confident.

The brunette grabbed the blonde by the waist and locked her arms around her. Jacqueline let out a surprised  _umpfh_ but didn’t object to being pressed so tightly against the younger woman’s body. They were swaying to the music, closely.  _Very_  closely, their faces just inches away from each other’s. Jane observed Jacqueline’s face. She loved the lines around her eyes and mouth, the curve of her smile. Her cheekbones. Her nose and finally, her eyes. Those stunning blue eyes. The part of Jacqueline she always got so lost in. 

Surprisingly, as dancers, they fit together amazingly. Not once did they step on the other’s foot or question where they would step next.

Jacqueline was staring Jane too. She observed a cute little birthmark on the younger woman’s forehead something she’d never noticed before. She also spotted the tiny little freckles around the brunette’s mouth. She didn’t know what force made her do it, but the older woman brought up her hand to touch the younger woman’s cupid bow on which the few freckles laid on. Jane took a sharp intake of breath and opened her mouth a little, looking right at the blonde’s lips as determined as a lion chasing its prey. Jane was in the middle of leaning in closer when suddenly loud music blasted through the speakers, startling them both.

Jane groaned in frustration and Jacqueline let out an annoyed sigh, looking down and licking her lips. The older woman took Jane by the hand yet again.

“What are you doing?” Jane asked, surprised.

The woman led them to the bar and ordered two shots of tequila. Jacqueline handed one to Jane.

“Why…?” Jane asked, again.

The older woman didn’t answer, just motioned for Jane to do the shot. Throwing it back quickly, before the younger woman was yet  _again_ dragged by her hand and led to a darker corner of the bar.

And that’s when Jane realized  _what_  was happening. Jacqueline didn’t even manage to turn around before  she was suddenly spun around by Jane and pinned against the nearest wall. For the longest time, nothing happened. They just stayed there and enjoyed the moment, their bodies pressed against each other’s, both of them feeling each other’s hot breath. 

Jane put her knee between Jacqueline’s legsand applied a little pressure against her groin which in turn made Jacqueline gasp breathlessly and shift under Jane’s touch. The older woman cupped Jane’s face and started putting light kisses all over. She moved onto the younger woman’s neck, this time using her tongue. Feeling her knees getting weaker and weaker, she was unable to hold it together much longer. Jane made a sharp move and pressed her lips against Jacqueline’s. 

It was explosive. Jacqueline moaned into Jane’s mouth. The sound and the feeling made the young woman shiver. Their tongues danced with each other, a tango spent fighting for dominance. Jane could still feel the aftertaste of tequila on Jacqueline’s tongue. It was strong and real and intoxicating for an altogether different reason.

Jacqueline’s lips were soft and Jane never wanted this moment to end. Jane was desperate to continue, but she could feel the burn in her lungs, begging for air.

The women parted at the same time, both breathing heavily. Jane balanced herself by putting her hand on the wall, right next to where Jacqueline was leaning.For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened. Nothing until Jacqueline grabbed Jane by the wrist and spun her around so she could trap the younger women between herself and the wall. It was a good thing that the blonde had had chosen this secluded area, otherwise she was certain their public display of would’ve had them kicked out of the bar.

The older woman teased the brunette by placing light pecks on her lips and biting on her lower lip from time to time. She slid her hands down the younger woman’s body and rested them on her ass, squeezing it quite strongly. What started off as light pecks, turned into a passionate kiss. Jacqueline slid her tongue into Jane’s mouth and was kissing her deeper and harder. Both of them completely forgot about reality. It was intense, it was rough, it was hot, and it made Jane groan deep in her throat and Jacqueline - lose her mind for the first time in so long.

“I want you” she heard Jane say in between the kisses.

“Not here, not now” Jacqueline answered, breathlessly. 

“Why?” Jane asked, digging her nails into Jacqueline’s skin, making the blonde hiss at the sensation.

“It’s not the right time.”

 

_To be continued._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you guys are amazing. i never expected to have THAT kind of feedback for this fic, especially since it's my first. you guys are the ones who make me want to continue it, who make me excited about writing and for that i am so thankful♥️  
> i'm also super thankful for my bestie kelsey who actually takes her time to proof-read and edit the fic, i love you!♥️  
> annnd, constructive criticism is always welcome, i even encourage it.  
> p.s. your comments always make my heart smile, hehe  
> mwuah!♥️


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What is this unicorn magic?

**Wednesday, 9:50am.**

Today was already a bad day. Jacqueline had forgotten how much harder hangovers are at her age. Why did she and Jane think it’d be a good idea to drink that much on a Tuesday night? On a Tuesday of all days! 

Her movements this morning had been very slow and shaky. So shaky that she spilled her morning coffee all over the kitchen and so slow that it had taken her a minute to realize what had happened. Her boys had asked what was wrong curiously and she had answered with the safest option - she hadn’t slept well. That already had made her hate this fine day and Jacqueline wasn’t the kind of person who hated… most of the time.

The stabbing headache wasn’t helping either, but she promised herself she wouldn’t let the bad mood and poor life choices dictate communication with her employees. Not today.

She had been sitting in her office for half an hour already, balancing her head in the palm of her hand, with a burning cup of coffee right next to her. A board meeting was taking place in 10 minutes. She’s gonna have to speak and sound logical which was so far from what she felt was in her power right now. The older woman took a deep breath, had a sip of the coffee and slowly got up from her seat. She started to sort the papers on her desk when something black and moving caught her attention. She turned her head and looked the to the bullpen.

It was Jane.

A jolt of adrenaline hit her stomach when she saw the younger woman. This time it was a nice feeling. It made her feel more awake which was exactly what she needed right now.

The brunette was wearing sunglasses which made Jacqueline laugh a little. She was glad she wasn’t the only one feeling like a complete pile of sh-

“Jacqueline?” She heard a knock on her door. It was Andrew. “The board meeting is in 5 minutes, you should get going.”

“All right, thank you.” She replied and left her office. She made eye-contact with the younger woman just as she was taking off her sunglasses. She could see that Jane’s breath caught in her throat which Jacqueline only smiled at. Passing Jane’s desk, she winked at the younger woman. It made Jane’s knees weak and her mind and body - excited.

_Oh boy._

 

**2pm.**

“Hey” Jane smiled as she knocked on the Jacqueline’s office door, “do you have a minute?”

The older woman looked up and smiled, almost smirked. “Sure,”

Jane stepped inside the office and put her hands in the back pockets of her black jeans. She looked at the blonde with a wicked smile, but didn’t say anything. The blonde returned the smile with just as much wickedness, if not more. What made Jane excited was that she could still feel the sexual tension that she was so sure was gonna be gone after last night. On top of that, they were still teasing each other. The teasing made Jane nervous and sweaty, but she had been  _living_ for this feeling for the past week or so.

“Are you still doing the count-your-steps thing?” Jane asked.

She could see confusion in Jacqueline’s face. “I am, yes. Why?”

“Would you like to go add some steps with me, maybe in the stairwell?” The younger woman asked teasingly, her gaze pointed and leaving little to the imagination.

Jacqueline bit her lip. Hard. She could feel the blush in her cheeks creeping up.

The older woman cleared her throat, “Since when do you want to do  _sports_  instead of writing?” She asked, her voice getting huskier and huskier, which in turn made Jane more aroused than she should be.

“Since last night?” She couldn’t even look the older woman in the eye; all she wanted was to touch her, to kiss her, to feel the blonde’s body pressed against her own. She  _wanted_  her. 

Jacqueline suddenly started walking towards Jane, which made the brunette tense slightly. She walked passed her and put her hand on the office door, which was indication for Jane to follow. The two women left Jacqueline’s office together and walked side by side through the bullpen. Their walk was quite fast causing some confused looks from others in the office.

Jacqueline pushed open the door to the stairwell and there they both were. Standing alone in the stairwell. Breathing hard in silence,  _staring_  at each other.

The atmosphere changed as soon as Jane threw herself at Jacqueline, pressing her lips hard against the older woman’s. They fused together, like one. The scenario was no different to how they had been last night. Jacqueline was pressed up against a wall as Jane kissed, nipped and touched her hungrily. Their hands were all over the place, wanting to feel as much of each other as possible. 

It was not long before Jacqueline’s shirt had slipped out of her pants and Jane was squeezing her breasts, earning a moan from the blonde that sent shivers through Jane’s body. Jacqueline’s nails dug into Jane’s skin almost painfully, forcing the younger woman to hiss at the sensation. Jane’s thigh found its way between Jacqueline’s and she revelled in the heat she felt there. Jacqueline started to rock against Jane’s thigh and it took everything in the brunette’s power not to slide her hand down the blonde’s pants and touch her. She  _needed_  to touch her.

The women finally parted, unable to catch their breath. They were both flushed, aroused and mesmerized by the fact that they were still in their workplace.

“I was worried you’d think this was a mistake after last night” Jane finally said shyly.

Jacqueline looked at her with that incomprehensible look of hers. “This  _is_  a mistake.”

Jane thought her heart is gonna jump right out of her chest and hang itself. “What,” she gasped in horror.

“We almost  _did_   _it_  in the  _stairway_  of the  _office_ ,” Jacqueline stated and that’s when Jane noticed the little smirk forming on her boss’ lips.

“Oh my god, and I was already getting ready to run away out of embarrassment.” Jane whined.

“Why?” The blonde asked.

“Well, when someone hot and dangerous, not to mention your boss tells you that  _this_ is a mistake after you’ve kissed them, you kind of wish the earth would swallow you up.” Jane replied, trying to be funny.

“So you’ve kissed a lot of your bosses, huh?” The older woman raised an eyebrow and smiled teasingly.

Jane rolled her eyes playfully, “You know what I mean.”

“I do.” Jacqueline said and once again closed the distance between them. This time the kiss was slow, sensual and light as a feather and it made them both tingly and happy.

“We should probably get back, shouldn’t we?” Jane asked in-between tiny kisses.

“You’re right.” Jacqueline said as she was observing the brunette’s lips.

Neither of them moved. Just stood there, holding onto each other.

_What was this unicorn magic?_

 

**5pm.**

“Jaaaaane” Kat yelled across the office.

Jane’s head shot up and she looked at her friend who was standing a few desks away; waving frantically. She got up from her chair and made her way to Kat. That’s when she noticed Sutton leaning against a wall. Both of them were obviously waiting for Jane.

“What’s up?” Jane asked.

“Come with us.” Sutton took Jane by her hand and dragged her into the fashion closet.

All of them sat down in silence. Sutton and Kat merely staring at Jane. Jane on the other hand tried to read what was on their minds.

“So what did you guys want to talk about?” The brunette asked.

After a pause, Kat finally spoke up. “There’s something you haven’t told us, isn’t there?” She asked with a smirk.

Jane could feel her heart rate going up. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been really… weird for the past 2 days,” Sutton replied, “and not like weird-weird, but like… you’ve got the I’ve-got-a-dude symptoms.”

Jane looked at both of her friends with a shocked expression. Her friends were looking back at her with that ‘let’s gossip’ expression. She rolled her eyes. “Just because I haven’t really talked to you for two days doesn’t mean I’ve got a dude. I get busy,” she whined.

“Oh my god, she really has one!” Kat exclaimed, not even offended by how Jane basically blew their questions off.

“Do tell!” Sutton joined in.

Jane sighed and tried to get rid of the annoyance she felt for her friends right now. “Okay, so there could be someone,” she could literally see the twinkles appearing in Kat and Sutton’s eyes, “BUT, I’m not telling you anything yet, because nothing that serious has happened yet and I want to stay in the bubble for a little longer.” 

“Boring.” Kat rolled her eyes.

“I’m not even sure anything more can happen, so, be patient you guys, please?” Jane asked almost powerlessly.

Sutton got up and motioned for Jane to do the same. She hugged her friend tightly. “Of course, hun, we’ll always support you.” 

Kat joined their hug and the girls just stood there, appreciating each other and the moment they’d shared.

**7pm.**

Jane was still tied to her desk in the office. She couldn’t believe her work day had ended an hour ago and she was still here. Part of it was because she had so much work to do. The bigger part though, was because of the walking personification of a goddess, Jacqueline Carlyle. Jane couldn’t even count the number of times she had glanced the older woman’s way and just watched her. She was stunning. The younger woman could feel her heartbeat race every time the older woman would even so much as move. And then there were those tiny moments when Jacqueline looked her  way and their eyes locked; causing both to laugh like adorable idiots.

Jane had never been obsessed with anyone in her life as much as Jacqueline. It almost felt unhealthy, but she couldn’t help herself. How did she get this lucky? The fact that the older woman responded with the same kind of affection to her, was amazing. 

She had always thought that affairs between younger and older women was a myth. As a queer girl, she had always ignored the crushes she’d have on her female teachers or professors, or family friends. Jane thought that she was just appreciating ‘beautiful’ women. Then she grew older and realized that that wasn’t the case at all. If given the chance, she’d very gladly and openly date an older woman. But then she started thinking and when Jane thinks for too long, it doesn’t go anywhere good. Her biggest issue was that she thought she was really young and inexperienced and all the older women were mature, most of her crushes had families and they had had some life experience. Why would any of those women date such an inexperienced and young girl?

But that had always been her self-consciousness talking. Someone very smart and wise once told her to start believing in herself. After having said that, Jane never saw the person ever again and it had hurt horribly. But those few words had stayed with her for years. 

She sighed and she was still daydreaming, looking Jacqueline’s office’s way when suddenly someone disturbed her from her bubble.

“Hey, you.”

Jane turned around and there he was, standing right beside her desk.

“Pinstripe?” She asked out of shock.

The man laughed, “Well, the name’s Ryan, but Pinstripe could work too, I guess” he winked at the young writer. Jane didn’t like that. It completely put her off, but she wasn’t the kind of person to make any assumptions. She got up from her chair and hugged Ryan. The hug wasn’t genuine on her side, so her eyes were open, looking Jacqueline’s office way. That’s when she realized the older woman had been watching them. As soon as the brown eyes met the blue ones, the blue ones looked away, as if not wanting to intrude. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked him, throwing a few glances her boss’ office way. The blonde had dug into papers and didn’t look Jane’s way once.

“I was asked to do a piece on this small business, so I’m visiting New York for few days,” he looked at Jane who seemed to be lost in another reality, “I was wondering if you’d go have a drink or coffee with me? We could catch up?”

“Coffee, sure, but we’d have to go get it downstairs, because I’m… quite busy right now.” Jane finally snapped out of the Jane-zone.

“Oh, we could do it another time then?” The man asked.

“No, now’s good.” Jane said and started walking towards the elevators. She kept thinking about Jacqueline’s face when she saw Jane and Ryan hugging. The older woman had almost looked… hurt? Maybe a mix between hurt and jealous?

_Shit._

**An hour later.**

Jane and Pinstripe were still sitting downstairs, drinking their 3rd cup of coffee and just talking. The man had told her all about his new job and he seemed really passionate about it which Jane was really glad about. Not that she cared that much, but it was always nice seeing someone so happy about what they’re doing.

Jane had also told him about her mostly boring life which Pinstripe only smiled at. They talked some more until a question was directed Jane’s way.

“Do you want to go to mine? I’ve got a really nice room in an even nicer hotel.” He offered.

Jane’s eyes shot up. She tensed up.  _So that’s what this is all about._

“I’m gonna have to say no.” She replied coldly.

“I really miss you, Jane…” he almost whispered.

Jane squinted her eyes that.  _Unbelievable._ She got up from her seat and started walking away. She could hear Ryan calling after her, but she didn’t care. She just needed to get away from the toxic things in her life.

Jane couldn’t believe how upset that interaction had made her. She pressed the elevator button and waited for the metal box to come down. As soon as the doors opened, she was ready to burst into it, which only resulted in her running right into Jacqueline.

The blonde let out a surprised sound and caught Jane in her arms. 

“You okay?” She asked curiously, sensing something was off with the brunette. Jane only replied with a sad nod and pressed the Scarlet Magazine’s office floor. She looked back at Jacqueline, but didn’t say anything. 

It was enough for Jacqueline to hop back into the lift and stand next to Jane. Their shoulders were touching. Jacqueline thought a tiny physical contact would make the younger woman feel better.

It did. Jane put her head on Jacqueline’s shoulder and intertwined the blonde’s fingers with her own.

“Thank you… and I’m sorry.” Jane almost whispered.

“For what?” Jacqueline asked, almost as quietly.

“Thank you for… this,” she squeezed her hand, “and I’m sorry for the whole Pinstripe thing. I would’ve never guessed he was still  _such_ an ass.”

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Jane.” Jacqueline squeezed her hand back as they both exited the elevator.

The office was empty and barely lit. Jacqueline was obviously second to last one to leave it, until she ran into Jane in the elevator.

Both women made their way to Jane’s desk. Jane started putting things in her handbag and Jacqueline helped turning off her laptop and put it in its case. For some reason that simple action made Jane smile really wide, which in turn made Jacqueline chuckle.

“What?” The older woman asked.

“Nothing.” Jane replied. She closed the distance between the two of them and placed a soft kiss on Jacqueline’s lips. She received a throaty and thoughtful  _mhm_ in return.

“Ready to go?” The brunette asked.

“Ready to go.” The blonde replied.

* * *

As soon as the women had left the building, Jane held on to Jacqueline’s hand and turned around to face the blonde.

She looked her in the eyes, but couldn’t get the words out.

“Yes?” Jacqueline asked, encouraging the younger woman to speak. She had a feeling she knew what she’s gonna ask.

With the deepest breath she’s ever taken, Jane finally asked: “Would you like to visit my apartment?”

Jacqueline smiled, but didn’t reply right away. She looked around and then leaned in, putting a light peck on Jane’s lips.

“I would very much like to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for being amazing, i appreciate you so much♥️  
> comments and reviews always inspire me to write more


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